Counterfeits of B.C. artist's work sold in ferry terminal

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A gift shop owner in the Tsawwassen Quay ferry terminal is working out a financial settlement with a local artist after she learned unauthorized copies of her work were sold in his store.

Hilary Morris, who owns a studio on Granville Island, is well-known for her unique pictures of iconic Vancouver locations. She sketches with a black technical pen and then applies opaque watercolour on top.

Morris was incensed when a friend alerted her to a small shop in the Tsawwassen Quay Market, Unique by Hand, that was selling counterfeit copies of her artwork.

"It was like somebody stealing something from me, something very precious from me,” she told CTV’s Steele on Your Side. “They’re like my children.”

The art being sold in the market is almost identical to her original creations. In each case, only Morris’ signature and the odd detail are removed.

"It made me almost nauseous because I looked at it and I could see very much that it was a direct rip-off of my stuff,” she said.

A visit to the store “Unique by Hand” revealed the counterfeit art, sold in the form of coasters and art prints, was on plain display at the front of the store.

The store clerk said the coasters are made by a local Vancouver artist, but he didn’t know the name. He did say they were very popular with tourists, and the store sells a lot of the artwork.

The back of the coasters purchased by Steele on Your Side reads “Made in China.”

When Morris emailed the owner of the store, Max Rensh, threatening legal action he replied: "Reproductions of art work is (sic) not an infringement of Canadian Copyright Act."

But his assertion isn’t true, says Martha Rans, a Vancouver copyright lawyer who works for Artists' Legal Outreach. Rans said the art being sold at Tsawwassen Quay does violate copyright law.

"It’s not about the money. It’s about the integrity and the reputation of the artist,” Rans said.